Senators visit historic site on Finegayan military base

Sens. Mary Torres and Joe San Agustin talk about their visit to a historic site on the U.S. Naval Computer and Telecommunications Station in Finegayan, Dededo.
John I. Borja/PDN

Archaeologist Ronnie Rogers, left, describes a site where a Chamorro earth oven complex was discovered, during a tour of the Naval Computer and Telecommunications Site at Finegayan, Dededo on Oct. 5, 2017.(Photo: Rick Cruz/PDN)

Part of what is now the U.S. Naval Computer and Telecommunication Station in Finegayan, Dededo, most likely was used as a small, seasonal settlement beginning around 700 A.D., through the Spanish occupation, according to archaeologist Sandy Yee, who is a State Historic Preservation Office liaison.

Data also suggests the land was a harvesting site for seasonal limestone forest plants, she added.

Joint Region Marianas on Thursday morning hosted a tour for senators and the Guam State Historic Preservation Office to see one of the sites that would cleared for the development of a new Marine Corps Base. The site already had been surveyed, and mitigation efforts for cultural artifacts are being conducted.

Col. Brent Bien, officer in charge of Marine Corps Activity Guam, told senators that the site is part of the proposed Finegayan cantonment, or garrison, that would accommodate incoming Marines and their families as part of the Marine relocation from Okinawa to Guam.

The main garrison involves about 60 different projects, at a cost of about $3 billion, Bien said.

At the site, tour conductor archaeologist Ronnie Rogers showed visitors an intact ancient stone mortar, known locally as lusong, used by past Chamorros, and an area that was formerly an earth oven complex. Traces of the earth oven were determined by the type of darkened soil found nearby.

Senators had the opportunity to look at other disturbed historical artifacts in the area, including latte stones, that were discovered by archaeologists during their survey of the land. Some of the artifacts have been recovered by the archaeology contractor for further analysis.

"What we know about this site is that it was previously disturbed. We believe it was bulldozed back in the '50s, when there was a lot of construction activities going on," said Shawn Arnold, cultural resource manager for Joint Region Marianas.

Yee noted that, because there were no nearby water sources, ancient Chamorros would use earthenware to collect rain accumulating on coconut trees. Grooves could be found on the tree trunks, and archaeologists believe this was to allow water to flow into pods for storage.

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Archaeologist Ronnie Rogers, left, describes a site where a Chamorro earth oven complex was discovered, during a tour of the Naval Computer and Telecommunications Site at Finegayan, Dededo on Oct. 5, 2017.
Rick Cruz/PDN

Col. Brent Bien, center, Marine Corps Activity Guam officer in charge, describes to lawmakers, archaeologists and others, the design and site improvements projected for the Naval Computer and Telecommunications Site at Finegayan, Dededo on Oct. 5, 2017. Military officials hosted the group tour of the cantonment area, where construction is slated for the future Marine Corps Base Guam.
Rick Cruz/PDN

Tracks made by wild pigs and deer could be found on a dirt path as archaeologist Ronnie Rogers, left, and Sen. Frank Aguon Jr. lead others during a tour of the Naval Computer and Telecommunications Site at Finegayan, Dededo on Oct. 5, 2017.
Rick Cruz/PDN

Sen. Mary Torres, right, leans forward to photograph an ancient lusong, or Chamorro stone mortar, during a tour of the Naval Computer and Telecommunications Site at Finegayan, Dededo on Oct. 5, 2017.
Rick Cruz/PDN

Sen. Régine Biscoe Lee kneels next to a fragment of Chamorro latte stone as fellow Sen. Mary Torres recites a Chamorro chants asking for the permission of ancient Chamorro spirits to allow a safe passage for lawmakers, archaeologists and others visiting the Naval Computer and Telecommunications Site at Finegayan, Dededo on Oct. 5, 2017.
Rick Cruz/PDN

Lawmakers and others were afforded the opportunity to tour the cantonment area of the Naval Computer and Telecommunications Site at Finegayan, Dededo on Oct. 5, 2017. The site visited is designated for the construction of the future Marine Corps Base Guam.
Rick Cruz/PDN

Col. Brent Bien, center, Marine Corps Activity Guam officer in charge, describes to lawmakers, archaeologists and others, the design and site improvements projected for the Naval Computer and Telecommunications Site at Finegayan, Dededo on Oct. 5, 2017. Military officials hosted the group tour of the cantonment area, where construction is slated for the future Marine Corps Base Guam.
Rick Cruz/PDN

Sen. Régine Biscoe Lee pauses for a moment near an ancient lusong, or Chamorro stone mortar, located in the jungles of the Naval Computer and Telecommunications Site at Finegayan, Dededo on Oct. 5, 2017.
Rick Cruz/PDN

Lawmakers and others were afforded the opportunity to tour the cantonment area of the Naval Computer and Telecommunications Site at Finegayan, Dededo on Oct. 5, 2017. The site visited is designated for the construction of the future Marine Corps Base Guam.
Rick Cruz/PDN

Lawmakers and others were afforded the opportunity to tour the cantonment area of the Naval Computer and Telecommunications Site at Finegayan, Dededo on Oct. 5, 2017. The site visited is designated for the construction of the future Marine Corps Base Guam.
Rick Cruz/PDN

Lawmakers and others were afforded the opportunity to tour the cantonment area of the Naval Computer and Telecommunications Site at Finegayan, Dededo on Oct. 5, 2017. The site visited is designated for the construction of the future Marine Corps Base Guam.
Rick Cruz/PDN

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Senators respond

Aguon sought reassurance from military officials that significant historic properties would be preserved to the greatest extent. He asked Rogers who decides whether a discovered artifact should be saved.

Rogers said the decision is based on the surveying archaeologists, project managers and the State Historic Preservation Office. These people all have to be on the same page in designating artifacts to either be preserved or mitigated.

San Agustin said he would have preferred seeing the items that were recovered by archaeologists, and not just the site where they were discovered.

"If they dug it up and brought it somewhere else, then take us to where those items are, let us see it, and then show us where it was found," he said.

San Agustin added that he doesn't believe the land was disturbed only in the 1950s, but also more recently, in connection with the military buildup. It's important for military officials to publicize reports of the archaeological surveys so the community wouldn't be so skeptical of the projects, he said.

For Torres, it was a pleasant visit. As a tradition to the indigenous people of Guam, Torres offered a prayer and asked permission in Chamorro to enter the jungles.

The visit showed the significance of having a thorough survey of the land, she said.

"The archaeological survey is very critical to give the people the peace of mind that we do know the lay of the land, and any ancient history there that we have to be aware of and preserve," Torres said. "It's not about a piece of rock or something that can be displayed. It's understanding the significance of something and never letting go of that."

A cultural repository to house mitigated artifacts is expected to be built as part of the 2011 Programmatic Agreement.